One of the BEST Books of 2017 // ARC Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Title: This Mortal Coil

Author: Emily Suvada

Publication Date: November 2nd 2017

Publisher: Penguin Books UK

Part of a Series?: Unconfirmed

I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books 

Blurb Description: When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta's death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world's leading geneticist, and humanity's best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole's genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine.
Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with a stranglehold on the world's genetic tech. But it's too late to turn back.
There are three billion lives at stake, two people who can save them, and one final secret that Cat must unlock. A secret that will change everything.

In Less Than A Thousand Words:

This Mortal Coil WAS AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, JAW DROPPING, FUTURISTIC MARVEL that I found SO hard to put down. EASILY one of the best books of 2017 and you need it in your lives.

Let’s go more into detail:

As I was unboxing my 15-Book box of mostly surprise book mail from Penguin India, all it took was one look at this ARC and I fell IN LOVE WITH IT. The sides are stained red, the cover art is GORGEOUS and I knew that whatever happened, I would be reading this book.

I took it with me, one fine morning, to college when all my friends decided it would be a great day for them to skip classes. I flipped it open, because what better way to spend a day with no interruptions that inside the pages of a beautiful book and my 2017 reading year will never be the same again.

This Mortal Coil way surpassed my expectations with its AMAZING plot, perfect futuristic tech that was unlike anything I’ve ever read about before, adrenaline, brilliant characters and a well, IT WAS JUST PERFECT, OKAY? This Mortal Coil made me fall madly in love with the futuristic sci-fi genre again and please excuse me while I shove this book in your face.

Here are some reasons why you should get your BookDragon claws into this book:

1.       Emily Suvada is a plotting GENIUS. This futuristic, apocalyptic world she created drew me in and I did NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO END, and I’m dying for a sequel to be announced because I need to be back in this world of biohacking and genomes and viruses and Black out soldiers and tech I haven’t even dreamed about.

2.       I absolutely loved Catarina Agatta who was badass, supremely smart and yet had her human moments where she ran, cried and felt fear. I loved everything about this girl and she had some MAD skills that you need to read the book to truly understand.

3.       There was this plot twist on page 401 of the ARC that LITERALLY MADE MY JAW DROP. I didn’t see it coming from any angle, and it just went to prove what an AMAZING book this debut author is sending out to the world.

4.       I ADORED COLE AND CATARINA. I loved the TECHNOLOGY IN THIS BOOK and the fast pace and the adrenaline just supplemented their relationship and I loved how they fit together. I can’t wait to learn more about what his blackout training entailed and what he can do and more about Catarina herself.

If me shouting in all uppercase through this review wasn’t enough for you, YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE, ON YOUR SHELVES AND MOVED TO THE TOP OF YOUR TBR.

This Mortal Coil is the masterpiece from a new voice that’s going to take the Young Adult world by storm. 5 stars!

Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.

Have you heard of or already had the chance to read This Mortal Coil? What do you think of it? 

What are some of your best 2017 books? 

What are some of your favourite futuristic books? 

I can't wait to hear from you!

An Important Read // ARC REVIEW: Countless by Karen Gregory

Title: Countless

Author: Karen Gregory
Publication Date: May 4th 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Is there anything that's concerning you?’ Felicity says. ‘College, home, boyfriends?' Though she's more or less smiling at this last one.
I don't smile. Instead, I feel my face go hot. Silence stretches as wide as an ocean. When I look up, Felicity has this expression on her face like she's just seen Elvis. Slowly, she leans forward and in a gentle voice I've never heard her use before she says, 'Have you done a pregnancy test?' 
When Hedda discovers she is pregnant, she doesn’t believe she could ever look after a baby. The numbers just don’t add up. She is young, and still in the grip of an eating disorder that controls every aspect of how she goes about her daily life. She’s even given her eating disorder a name – Nia. But as the days tick by, Hedda comes to a decision: she and Nia will call a truce, just until the baby is born. 17 weeks, 119 days, 357 meals. She can do it, if she takes it one day at a time … 
Heartbreaking and hopeful by turns, Karen Gregory’s debut novel is a story of love, heartache and human resilience. And how the things that matter most can’t be counted. Perfect for fans of Lisa Williamson, Non Pratt and Sarah Crossan. 

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

I’ve only read one book centred on Anorexia Nervosa before, and that was Wintergirls by Laurie Anderson. As soon as I saw that the Lovely Bloomsbury India was going to be releasing Countless here, I knew I HAD to read it.

Short & Sweet: Countless manages to explain and overcome anorexia in a different and somewhat more attainable light, with a baby and a broken family thrown in the mix.

Let me explain my thoughts in greater detail:

WRITING:

Karen Gregory had this haunted, broken and painful writing style which is exactly what I’d imagine a sixteen year old pregnant anorexic who was living by herself having. Her writing made the story come alive; made it all believable.

It was also written in two parts – before and after the baby with the weeks counting up and down. It was s fun style to read seeing Hedda carry the baby to term and how she became a mother after.

IDEA:

I loved the idea surrounding this book. I don’t think Anorexia, other eating disorders or even body image issues are talked about enough in book, especially with what expectations are doing to girls these days.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to have it. It was an AMAZING idea.

PLOT:

While the writing was good and the idea of the story even better, the plot is where I started having problems.

For 1) Which self-respecting parents would GIVE UP ON THEIR SICK 16 YEAR OLD AND ALLOW HER TO LIVE BY HERSELF? She was SICK. It’s a DISEASE. The book opens with Hedda living in a mouldy apartment with no money or support and OBVIOUSLY SHE’S STILL SICK. THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HER SUPPORT SYSTEM ABANDONED HER. Maybe she’s let them down in the past, but we’re a) not given much information about the past but b) so WHAT? You don’t get to abandon one child for another.

I liked how the various resources available in the U.K. were highlighted. It’s important that people know what’s available to them and reach out when they feel like they need help.

Another thing I liked was how this book ended. I couldn’t help but feel that it was thoroughly irresponsible for Hedda to be allowed to have a baby with NO SUPPORT SYSTEM (Money, Family, Friends and an Eating Disorder?), but I’m glad she grew up in the end. It was a good, responsible ending and I can’t help but commend it.

CHARACTERS:

Hedda came across as selfish. Maybe we can blame it on her wanting something that was more than her eating disorder, but it didn’t change the fact that she had no care for anyone else. She walked away from her mother after a trip at the mall and got herself into debt because she was too prideful to ask her parents for money.

I didn’t like her parents either. I did like Robin, Hedda’s Sister and all the other secondary characters.

CONCLUSION:

I was sitting in a room filled with 50 girls and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US raised our hands when a counsellor asked up if we have Body Image Issues. EVERY. SINGLE. GIRL.

We should be reading and writing more books like Countless because of the message it sends out there – you are more than what you look liked. 3.5 stars. 

Karen is a graduate of Somerville College, Oxford, and a project manager by day who’s become adept at writing around the edges (strong coffee and a healthy disregard for housework help). A confirmed bookhead since early childhood, Karen wrote her first story about Bantra the mouse at the age of twelve, then put away the word processor until her first child was born when she was overtaken by the urge to write. Karen lives in Wiltshire with her family and is represented by Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge & White.

Have you read some good books on eating disorders and body image issues? 

Please do hit me up with some recommendations because I WOULD LOVE TO DIVE INTO THEM!

Looking forward to hearing from you <3!

Beautiful, Powerful, Brutal // REVIEW: Windwitch by Susan Dennard (The Witchlands #2)

Title: Windwitch (The Witchlands, #2)

Author: Susan Dennard

Publication Date: January 12th 2017

Publisher: Tor Teen

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2/4 of The Witchlands Series

I Got A Copy Through: Pan Macmillan India

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Flipkart || Infibeam || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Google Play Store || Kobo || 

Blurb Description: Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…
After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.
When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?
After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

“After all, pain was her lesson for dreaming big.”

In short, though I had a rocky start to this book, it turned out to be THE BEST THING EVER!

My heart is currently aching for the beautiful, dark souls of Iseult and Aeduan because they are my new OTP and I LOVE THEM TO THE VOID AND BACK. I’m SO EXCITED that the third book is called Bloodwitch because that just means that Aeudan will still be in it and also, did I mention HOW MUCH I LOVE THESE TWO?

I picked up my copy of Windwitch the MINUTE after I closed my review document of book one, Truthwitch (THANK YOU PAN MACMILLAN INDIA FOR MY COPY!) and the first thing that hit me was:

a)      That the entirety of Truthwitch had taken place in days

b)      It was two weeks later and well, EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED.

Going into Windwitch right after Truthwitch felt… different.

 

 

What I LOVED:

1.       ISEULT AND AEUDAN: Everytime I saw their names on the pages I did a tiny happy dance because Windwitch told the story from BOTH their perspectives and it was FREAKING ADORABLE. AND BRUTAL. AND AMAZING. I loved how they saw each other, how the fact the Aeduan had no threads freaked out a generally stoic witch and the fact that Iseult had no blood scent got to Aeduan.

I LOVED READING about how they saw each other, and how they dealt with the feelings of wrongness when they were apart. IT WAS F**KING BEAUTIFUL.

Truth be told, THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE TRADITIONAL ROMANTIC THING THAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM, but HOLY GOD Susan Dennard made me fall for them anyway.

2.       The Storyline: The Story went SO MUCH DEEPER in this instalment, showing you more secondary characters, most inevitable betrayals, more DARK/ VOID MAGIC and well, I LOVED IT. Even though Safi and Iseult and Merik and Safi remained separated through the book, there wasn’t pining of the dreadful sort and that was definitely a plus point too.

3.       THE ENDING: While it wasn’t a cliffhanger, I closed the book DESPERATE FOR MORE. I NEED MORE Iseult and Aeduan in my life, also maybe Safi and Vaness (who SERIOUSLY reminds me of Manon from Throne of Glass) and the rest of the cast. Oh, and Owl and the Mountain Bat. (READ IT.)

4.       AEDUAN: HE. IS. FREAKING. AWESOME. AND RUTHLESS. AND POWERFUL. AND CARING. AND HE RESCUED A GIRL FROM PIRATES. AND HE HAS A TORTURED PAST. And he was easily my favourite part of the book.

What I didn’t LOVE:

I couldn’t shake the feeling that it had missed something more than the time – that it was a very abrupt beginning and I didn’t know what to do with it. For a while.

So for about the first third of the book, the ONLY SCENES I was looking forward to were those that contained my lovely Iseult and Aeduan. Merik felt like he was LITERLLY stomping around the place, claiming he was a forgotten God and DID NOTHING. Although I did like Safi and him in book one, I really didn’t like what his character did in this ENTIRE book – which was NOTHING.

It did take me a while to get into this book, and I put it down for a while to read Frostblood, but when I picked it back it, I FELL IN LOVE.

A dark, BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL Fantasy with characters that make you feel all wrapped up in one of my favourite fantasies since A Court Of Mist and Fury. 4.5 stars. 

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series (from HarperTeen) as well as the forthcoming Witchlands Series (Tor, 2015). When not writing, she can be found hiking with her dogs, exploring tidal pools, or earning bruises at the dojo.

You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.

HAVE YOU READ ANY SUSAN DENNARD BOOKS YET? 

Have you had the chance to dive into this series yet? Who is your favourite character? Your strongest ship? WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Leave me your links and I'll definitely hop on over to your lovely blogs.